Real Fake (stylized as REAL⇔FAKE) is a Japanese television mini-series that aired on MBS on the channel's programming block, Dramaism [ja]. The series was written and directed by Nobuhiro Mouri, with production by Dub, Inc. The production stars Yoshihiko Aramaki, Keisuke Ueda, Ren Ozawa, Masanari Wada, Ryuji Sato, Ryunosuke Matsumura, Toshiyuki Someya, and Shouta Aoi, all of whom have been involved in 2.5D musicals.[1] A second season titled Real Fake 2nd Stage was released on June 15, 2021.

Real Fake
Written by
  • Nobuhiro Mouri
  • Yō Hosaka (season 2)
Directed by
  • Nobuhiro Mouri
  • Tōru Yamashita (season 2)
Starring
Opening theme
  • "Real Fake" by Stellar Crowns with Akane (season 1)
  • "Rumor" by Stellar Crowns with Akane (season 2)
Ending theme
  • "Fake of Fake" by Shouta Aoi (season 1)
  • "Glass no Kutsu" by Shouta Aoi (season 2)
Country of originJapan
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes12
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesDub, Inc.
Original release
NetworkMBS, TBS
ReleaseSeptember 2 (2019-09-02) –
September 23, 2019 (2019-09-23)

Plot edit

Stellar Crowns is a project group made up of actors and singers, but one of the members, Akane, disappears before their debut.[2] However, Stellar Crowns' agency gets a tip stating that he is still alive but has been kidnapped by a traitorous member in Stellar Crowns.[2] The president of Queen Record, Sasakida, enlists Hidetoshi Moriya, an aspiring filmmaker and Akane's former classmate, to investigate under a pretense of filming a documentary about Stellar Crowns.[2][3] Eventually, Moriya learns that Akane's brother, a songwriter, had committed suicide after being targeted by Sasakida, and in order to protect Akane, Stellar Crowns had staged his disappearance.[4] After the truth is discovered, Sasakida is removed from his position from the agency while Akane is made its president.[4]

Characters edit

Nagisa Makino (牧野 凪沙, Makino Nagisa)
Played by: Yoshihiko Aramaki[2]
Nagisa is a member of Stella Crowns. He is a former idol singer struggling to break into acting.
Yusuke Ikuta (育田 悠輔, Ikuta Yūsuke)
Played by: Keisuke Ueda[2]
Yusuke is a member of Stella Crowns. He is an actor and was a former classmate of Kakeru's.
Rin Sawase (沢瀬 凛, Sawase Rin)
Played by: Ren Ozawa[2]
Rin is a member of Stellar Crowns. He is an actor and has mostly appeared on variety shows. He and Reijiro were childhood friends.
Kakeru Suzuki (鈴木 翔琉, Suzuki Kakeru)
Played by: Ryuji Sato[2]
Kakeru is a member of Stellar Crowns. He is a singer from Akane's agency and was recruited as his replacement.
Reijiro Umehara (梅原 黎士郎, Umehara Reijirō)
Played by: Ryunosuke Matsumura[2]
Reijiro is a member of Stellar Crowns. He studied and worked abroad as a radio personality in Australia. He is the final person who joined the group.
Masayuki Sena (瀬名 征行, Sena Masayuki)
Played by: Masanari Wada[2]
Masayuki is a member of Stella Crowns. He is a friend of Nagisa and fan of Akane.
Hidetoshi Moriya (守屋 英俊, Moriya Hidetoshi)
Played by: Toshiyuki Someya[2]
Moriya is an aspiring filmmaker and Akane's classmate from high school.
Akane Kaburagi (鏑木 朱音, Kaburagi Akane)
Played by: Shouta Aoi[2]
Akane is popular singer known for his angelic singing voice. He was originally a member of Stella Crowns, but disappears before their debut.

Production edit

Real Fake began airing on MBS as part of their programming block, Dramaism [ja], on September 2, 2019,[a] and later aired on TBS on September 4, 2019. The series is written and directed by Nobuhiro Mouri and produced by Dub, Inc. The cast features actors who have previously acted in 2.5D musicals. The opening theme song is "Real Fake" by the main cast as their characters, credited as Stellar Crowns with Akane. The ending theme song is "Fake of Fake" by Shouta Aoi, which was released as a B-side on his single "Harmony."[5]

A second season titled Real Fake 2nd Stage was announced in December 2020 and scheduled for broadcast in 2021, with the original cast reprising their roles.[6][7] Ren Ozawa was removed from the cast following his domestic abuse allegations.[8] On April 9, 2021, Hiroki Ino and Hiroki Sasamori were added as regular cast members and 2nd Stage was announced to be broadcast beginning June 15, 2021.[4] The opening theme is "Rumor" by Stellar Crowns with Akane and the ending theme is "Glass no Kutsu" by Shouta Aoi.[9] 2nd Stage is directed by Tōru Yamashita, with Yō Kosaka in charge of script.[9]

Episodes edit

Season 1 (2019) edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Episode 1"
Transliteration: "Dai-ichi-wa" (Japanese: 第1話)
Nobuhiro MouriNobuhiro MouriSeptember 2, 2019 (2019-09-02)
22"Episode 2"
Transliteration: "Dai-ni-wa" (Japanese: 第2話)
Nobuhiro MouriNobuhiro MouriSeptember 9, 2019 (2019-09-09)
33"Episode 3"
Transliteration: "Dai-san-wa" (Japanese: 第3話)
Nobuhiro MouriNobuhiro MouriSeptember 16, 2019 (2019-09-16)
44"Episode 4"
Transliteration: "Dai-yon-wa" (Japanese: 第4話)
Nobuhiro MouriNobuhiro MouriSeptember 23, 2019 (2019-09-23)

Soundtrack edit

Cheers, Big Ears!
Soundtrack album by
Stellar Crowns with Akane
ReleasedNovember 27, 2019
GenreJ-pop
LabelKing Records

Cheers, Big Ears! is a studio album produced for Real Fake featuring songs performed by the main cast as their characters.[10][11] The limited version of the album included an exclusive DVD and an alternate cover.[12] The album charted at #18 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and sold 7,319 copies on its first week.[13]

No.TitleLength
1."Real Fake" (performed by Stellar Crowns with Akane (Yoshihiko Aramaki, Keisuke Ueda, Ren Ozawa, Ryuji Sato, Ryunosuke Matsumura, Masanari Wada, and Shouta Aoi))3:48
2."P-F-Up!!" (performed by Nagisa Makino (Yoshihiko Aramaki))4:23
3."From Now on" (performed by Yusuke Ikuta (Keisuke Ueda))3:43
4."Paradox" (performed by Rin Sawase (Ren Ozawa))3:57
5."Toxic Liar" (performed by Kakeru Suzuki (Ryuji Sato))3:46
6."Why Why Why" (performed Reijiro Umehara (Ryunosuke Matsumura))4:28
7."Someday" (performed Masayuki Sena (Masanari Wada))4:47
8."Tenshi no Kokoro" (天使の心 lit. An Angel's Heart; performed by Akane (Shouta Aoi))4:29
9."Moshi mo no Negai" (もしもの願い; lit. A Hypothetical Wish; performed by Nagisa Makino (Yoshihiko Aramaki) & Yusuke Ikuta (Keisuke Ueda))3:48
10."Real Fake" (remix; performed by Stellar Crowns with Akane (Yoshihiko Aramaki, Keisuke Ueda, Ren Ozawa, Ryuji Sato, Ryunosuke Matsumura, Masanari Wada, and Shouta Aoi))4:01
11."Fake of Fake" (TV size; performed by Shouta Aoi)1:40
Total length:42:50

Notes edit

  1. ^ MBS lists the air date as September 1, 2019 at 24:50, which is September 2, 2019 at 12:50 AM.

References edit

  1. ^ "人気舞台俳優6人が集結!ドラマ「REAL⇔FAKE」で荒牧慶彦、植田圭輔、小澤廉、佐藤流司、松村龍之介、和田雅成が大集合トーク". The TV (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. August 10, 2019. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "荒牧慶彦らが共同生活、毛利亘宏脚本・監督のドラマ「REAL⇔FAKE」". Natalie (in Japanese). July 10, 2019. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  3. ^ "「フェイクの中の真実楽しんで」9月OA、毛利亘宏監督のドラマ「REAL⇔FAKE」". Natalie (in Japanese). August 2, 2019. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "「REAL⇔FAKE」ドラマ版第2弾スタート!新キャストに猪野広樹・笹森裕貴". Natalie (in Japanese). April 9, 2021. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "Harmony". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  6. ^ "ドラマ『REAL⇔FAKE 2nd STAGE』2021年MBS/TBSドラマイズム枠にて放送決定! 植田圭輔さん・松村龍之介さん・蒼井翔太さんら1期メンバーが全員続投". Animate Times (in Japanese). December 3, 2020. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  7. ^ "『REAL⇔FAKE』第2期ドラマ、2021年放送決定 植田圭輔&松村龍之介が発表". Oricon (in Japanese). December 4, 2020. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  8. ^ @REALFAKE_info (December 16, 2020). "この度『REAL⇔FAKE 2nd Stage』出演キャストに関し、キャスト全員続投と告知いたしましたが、出演予定でした小澤廉さんは、諸般の事情により降板する運びとなりました。" [Regarding the starring cast of Real Fake 2nd Stage, we announced that all cast members would be returning, but Ren Ozawa, who was originally scheduled to appear, has been dismissed due to various circumstances.] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved December 21, 2020 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ a b "ドラマ「REAL⇔FAKE」第2期放送、猪野広樹と笹森裕貴が新たに参加". Natalie (in Japanese). April 9, 2021. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  10. ^ "ドラマ『REAL⇔FAKE』の主題歌をはじめ、出演キャストソロ曲が収録されたアルバムが11月27日発売決定". Dengeki (in Japanese). September 18, 2019. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "オリジナルドラマ『REAL⇔FAKE』より、Music CD「Cheers, Big ears!」の全曲試聴動画を公開!". Animate (in Japanese). November 15, 2019. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  12. ^ "「REAL⇔FAKE」 Music CD「Cheers, Big ears!」【初回限定盤】". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "週間 アルバムランキング 2019年12月09日付 11~20位" [Weekly Album Rankings: December 9, 2019 #11-20]. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2020.

External links edit